“I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT THE MARQUEZ BROTHERS MADE MOTOGP MORE EXCITING” The FIM President’s admission caused a stir in the entire MotoGP, making legend Valentino Rossi extremely angry and having to respond immediately.
In a riveting development that has sent ripples through the MotoGP world, the president of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) has openly conceded that Marc Marquez and his brother have played a central role in reinvigorating the sport. His remark—delivered during a recent interview—sparked a firestorm in the paddock and ignited sharp reactions, none more potent than from the legend Valentino Rossi, who was furious enough to issue an immediate rebuttal.
During the interview, FIM’s leader praised the Marquez brothers—not just for their talent, but for the way they stir passion among fans, challenge rivals, and raise the stakes in every race. He observed that since Marc’s return to prominence and Alex’s consistent performances, MotoGP has been more unpredictable, more intense, and more exciting. According to him, their presence forces other riders to up their game, engineers to push the limits, and audiences to watch with bated breath. The implication: without the Marquez dynamic, the sport would lose some of its spark.
For many, this was not controversial. The Marquez brothers have repeatedly proven themselves to be game changers—Marc with his audacious overtakes, frequent crashes, dramatic comebacks, and unmatched fighting spirit; Alex with a steadier but resolute style, showing that consistency and grit matter as much as all-out speed. Together, they mobilise rivalries, influence race strategies, and amplify fan interest. But when the FIM president appeared to position them as central catalysts of MotoGP’s renewed popularity, it stirred old wounds.
Valentino Rossi, seven-time premier class world champion and one of the most influential riders in MotoGP history, did not take the statement lightly. He released a strong public statement later the same day, disputing the notion that Marc and Alex have singly (or even primarily) made MotoGP “better” in the way the FIM had suggested. Rossi argued that the sport’s evolution is much more complex: innovation, rule changes, safety improvements, new teams and manufacturers, rising talents, media growth, and global expansion are all part of what has kept MotoGP fresh. He said to credit only one family—or two riders—for the sport’s resurgence ignores the contributions of many others.
Rossi’s rebuke was not only about fairness, but pride. As someone who dominated the sport for decades, he finds it unsettling that more recent names are being praised in ways that, in his view, minimize the influence of earlier eras and the veterans who built MotoGP’s legacy. He also implied that framing the sport’s excitement as largely contingent on the Marquez brothers elevates their narrative at the expense of others—a narrative he considers oversimplified and misleading.
The clash quickly became a hot topic in MotoGP media circles. Fans took sides: some agreed with FIM, saying the Marquez brothers bring drama, risk and flair to every race; others backed Rossi, insisting that MotoGP’s appeal is rooted in myriad factors beyond any individual rider or family. Social media exploded with debates over whether Rossi is just hurt by the perception shift, or whether the president’s praise was genuinely misplaced.
Observers note that Rossi’s reaction exposed deeper tensions in the sport: the clash between past and present; how history and legend are weighed against current performance and spectacle; how riders, governing bodies, and fans all struggle for narrative control. Rossi, even in retirement, is revered—and when someone alters the story of who contributes what to MotoGP, especially in terms of excitement and influence, he is likely to respond.
Beyond ego and legacy, the dispute raises more concrete questions: Should official figures like the FIM president be more balanced in attributing growth and popularity? Does focusing on dramatic personalities—such as the Marquez brothers—overshadow structural improvements in the sport? And for young riders, does the new focus on a few stars help them or does it compress attention too narrowly?
In the wake of Rossi’s response, several media outlets attempted to get further comments from both the FIM and the Marquez camp. So far, the FIM has stood by the original praise but expressed regret if the remarks implied diminishing the contributions of others. The Marquez brothers, for their part, have remained largely quiet, emphasizing that their goal is to race hard, not to dominate headlines or inflame controversies.
As this debate continues, one thing is certain: MotoGP is richer—and more dramatic—because of the personalities involved, both past and present. Whether Marc and Alex have done more than others to stir excitement may remain a matter of opinion. But the conversation itself reveals how fiercely MotoGP fans care about its history, its current stars, and its future.
Ultimately, the headline may read that the FIM president “admitted” something that many already felt—but the controversy shows that admitting is different from proving. Valentino Rossi’s reaction reminds us that in MotoGP, as in many sports, legacy is a battlefield—even in peace.
